Lionel Hollins Not Shocked by the Grizzlies’ Success

For the Memphis head coach, it’s not his first time being around a basketball team that defied the odds. The Commercial Appeal reports: “Forgive [Lionel] Hollins if he sees some parallels to his playing days when the Portland Trail Blazers team made a run to the NBA championship. ‘Nobody knew about us. We just came out and played,’ Hollins said. ‘The further along we went the more people knew who we were. Nobody believed that we could do the things that we did. We played the (Los Angeles) Lakers, who had to best record in the league, and swept them in four straight (in the Western Conference finals). Nobody thought we could play with the almighty Philadelphia 76ers. Everybody thought that team was going to run over us. They won the first two games and we beat them in four straight (to win the championship).’ So the Griz have flown under the radar until now. Hollins would have it no other way. ‘There’s not a media person standing around that would have put his house and paycheck on us being up 3-1,’ Hollins said. ‘But that’s why you play the game.’”